Kitchen scandals 1 ed 2013 1494841304

I didn’t even know her name, and I wanted to sweep her away and kiss heruntil our lips were bruised.. Turning on the faucet to rinse my hands, I turned and asked, “Why exactly are you co

Kitchen Scandals

Brooke Cumberland

To my amazing family who are always within arms reach when I need them Without you, none of thiswould be possible A huge shout out and thank you to my friend, Stefani for always willing to readwhatever I send her way and giving me amazing advice To my husband–for not feeling neglected

when the computer got more attention than he did And to my readers for keeping me inspired Thank

you for all your feedback and appreciation

Table of Contents

AUTHORS NOTEPROLOGUECHAPTER ONECHAPTER TWOCHAPTER THREECHAPTER FOURCHAPTER FIVECHAPTER SIXCHAPTER SEVENCHAPTER EIGHTCHAPTER NINECHAPTER TENCHAPTER ELEVENCHAPTER TWELVECHAPTER THIRTEENCHAPTER FOURTEENCHAPTER FIFTEENCHAPTER SIXTEENCHAPTER SEVENTEENCHAPTER EIGHTEENCHAPTER NINETEENCHAPTER TWENTYCHAPTER TWENTY-ONECHAPTER TWENTY-TWOCHAPTER TWENTY-THREECHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

EPILOGUESPARK – CHAPTER ONE (SNEAK PEEK)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

To my readers who inspire and support me to keep going Your kind words and messages mean more

to me than I could ever say! I love interacting with all of you on a daily basis on Facebook and

Twitter! I truly from the bottom of my heart appreciate it! Thank you!

And a quick acknowledgement to all my Facebook Authors & Bloggers/Reviewers who continuouslyshare and post on my behalf I love being in our Author/Blogger community where we can talk aboutbooks & reading!

Thank you to my cover designer, Steph, for making me a mouthwatering cover! And to my editor,Rogena, for always working her butt off to get my pages back to me on time

There are too many blogs/FB pages to mention them all, but please know you make a difference andare amazing!! There are some I do want to mention that are always promoting me, guiding me, andsharing my posts!

Novel Grounds

My Fictional Boyfriend & Book Whore Page

Say What? Savannah MaeKayla the BibliophileMaria’s Book BlogJust BookedTurn the PageBook, Babes and Cheap Cabernet

Bookaholics BlogStephanie’s Book ReportsAll Romance ReviewsSarah’s Book BlogMary Elizabeth’s Crazy Book Obsession

Up All Night Book AddictShh Mom’s ReadingTalkbooksWho you callin’ a book whoreLove Between The SheetsSwoon Worthy Books

I Feel the Need, the Need to ReadTwinsie Talk Book Reviews

A Book Whore’s ObsessionBridger Bitches Book BlogThe Book Bellas

I Heart BooksSeductive Romance Reviews

Book Bitches

Nose Stuck in a BookInside the Pages of a Book

2 Chicks and a Blog – Book Soul mates

Romance Book WormHook Me Up Book Blog

…and any others I forgot to mention!

Also, a quick thank you to the blogs that were in my blog tour! Thank you for loving this series asmuch as I do!

Brooke xo

Drake

From the moment I walked into the conference hall, which was large enough for a socialgathering, I spotted her from across the room She was wearing a gorgeous red knee length V-neck

dress with black stilettos Simple, but stunning Her long brown hair lay beautifully on her shoulders

with loose curls at the end She was casually standing near another woman, holding a drink in onehand, twirling the straw with her other hand She looked bored at best I didn’t blame her These

orientation gatherings normally were They were the official meet-and-greet of the new interns for thesemester

I stood there and stared at her for a moment, taking her in completely I studied her as if shewere a painting I couldn’t help myself She stood with such grace you would have never guessed athow clumsy she was I lost all track of time staring at her that I barely noticed it was my time to

speak

I cleared my throat and fixed my tie before heading to the stage I always welcomed the newinterns at orientation seeing as I was the one who oversaw the program and looked through the

applicants I needed to know her name Somehow, I needed to hear her voice

“Welcome Thank you all for coming tonight, showing your pride as you enter a new stage inyour career Riverside is excited to have you become a part of our family! You will struggle, you willfail, and better yet, you will succeed If you don’t struggle and if you don’t learn to fail, you will

never know what it feels like to succeed So, before you get down on yourself, remember that Thisprogram is hard, time-consuming, and will mentally drain you, but I promise you, it’ll all be worthit.” As I was delivering my speech, I tried my hardest to scan the room and keep eye contact with theother interns and staff, but it was hard to peel my eyes away from her Just as I was telling a joke andending my speech, it happened She laughed and smiled so big it made her cheeks turn pink She hadthe most beautiful smile I had ever seen She looked so carefree and full of life I wondered if she hadever had any heartbreak in her short life I certainly hoped she hadn’t

By seeing her big, bright smile, you would have never known the pain she had been through

I would have never guessed her fights and struggles She made it look easy Too easy.

“Excuse me? Mr Moon, I need to know that woman’s name.” I said to my assistant, nodding

my head in her direction It wasn’t anywhere near an odd request on my part My assistant was used

to my strange requests After being with me for six years, he never questioned anything I asked

I decided to keep my distance from her that night knowing I wouldn’t be able to keep myselfcomposed around her I didn’t even know her name, and I wanted to sweep her away and kiss heruntil our lips were bruised I decided to stay as close to her as I could without being too obvious Icontinued to hear her laugh as she spoke with the other woman standing near her It refreshed my heartevery time Then I saw it The ring on her left hand

I was in denial the second I noticed it She didn’t look any older than twenty-three, maybetwenty-four Most interns in the program were not married For some reason, deep down, I felt as if it

just couldn’t be true Engaged? Perhaps But I was determined to find out.

“Mr Stagliano?” My assistant tapped me on the shoulder taking my attention away from her

“I have the information you asked me for.” I could see a manila folder under his arm Her portfolio

Finally.

“Let me have it, please.” I reached out and took it from him “Thank you.” I walked away so

I could look without being distracted At events like these, I rarely had a free moment to spare, buttonight I was making time

“Molly Woods,” speaking aloud to myself “Twenty-three, scholarship applicant, lives inChicago, graduated high school with honors.” I continued talking to myself in hopes of getting theinformation I needed And then, there was a little box checked with her marital status “Single.” I

smiled as I read that Perfect.

I handed my assistant the folder back, sneaking back into the conference room A staff

member was now going over a power point presentation on basic “dos and don’ts.” Orientation was abore, but it at least gave me one hell of an excuse to watch her She playfully twirled her hair aroundher finger and sipped on her drink I noticed a guy walking up to her, and my face flattened as I sawhim sit next to her She began playing with her ear as she nervously looked down trying to avoid theman’s eye contact I could tell he was making her nervous and uncomfortable I flinched as I toldmyself not to get involved Not here

As the orientation ended, I noticed she was getting ready to leave Hopefully by herself She

waved to her friend as she walked out the door And just like that, my heart sank I felt drawn to her

as if we already had a connection somehow It was a feeling I’ve never felt before, and I wasn’t sure

how to handle it Come on, Drake Shake it off!

Deep down I knew I was crazy for feeling like this It could never turn into anything, at leastwhile she was interning at the Riverside That would break so many rules of staff dating, especially

the owner’s son dating an intern But I also knew deep down that I really didn’t care Nope, don’t care I would risk it for her If she wanted me, to

The following week dragged on as I went to meetings and worked in my office I knew thefollowing Monday would be her first day here, and I couldn’t wait to see her again She was on mymind the entire time I wondered what she was doing, who was she with, or where she had been Mymind was consumed of only her, and I had yet to speak a single word to her To say she was beautifulwould be a vast understatement When I first noticed her, it was as if the entire room stood still as Iwatched her stirring her drink, twirling her hair, and biting the inside of her cheek She made looking

-<> -bored sexy Sexy as hell.

Monday finally arrived, and I had planned to introduce myself to her, but I was scared ashell Would I scare her off or make her uncomfortable? I wanted to ask about the ring, but I couldn’tlet on that I knew she wasn’t married Thoughts of her flooded my mind all morning until I finallyfound an excuse to go into the kitchen

Since this was the first day for my interns, I decided I would go down, speak with Mr.

Cooper, and see how his students were doing Yeah, that was a valid excuse I walked through the

doors with confidence and casually searched for her She was at the back counter station lookingmuch different from the first time I saw her She wore a white button-up chef’s coat with perfectlysmoothed-out black cuffs and collar She had a white apron wrapped around her waist, and tied in aknot in the front Her hair was pinned up this time and tucked underneath her chef’s hat Her face hadless makeup than before, but just as beautiful She was chewing her lip as she remained focused onwhat she was doing

I fidgeted with the change in my right pocket before getting the nerve to walk up to her Shehad just turned around to grab something up high, so I took this opportunity to approach her Afterasking her if she were married, she quickly spun around, clearly shocked by my straight-forwardness

Way to freak her out!

I couldn’t stop gazing into her beautiful green eyes When she wasn’t looking, I eyed herlips They looked soft and plump I had imagined kissing those very lips for the past week I wasunsure how much longer I would be able to wait

I chuckled as she told me her ring was to keep danger away I knew exactly what she meant,but I was still determined to find out more about her I could tell I was making her uncomfortable with

my questions about her ring, so I knew I would have to resort to plan B

As I walked away, I heard the pot she was grabbing drop to the floor I smiled as I hoped I

had rattled her In a good way, of course I had plotted my next move, and I wasn’t going to wait long

to see her again

After only a few hours I was anxious to see her I wanted to ask her to dinner so we couldspend some time alone together I just needed some time with her so she would feel what I felt It was

inevitable that we belonged together I just knew it.

I came up with another excuse to walk through the kitchen I searched for her again, but Ididn’t see her I walked to the back and noticed the freezer door open Peeking my head in, I saw shewas putting something away She had her back toward me, so I walked in, slamming the door behind

me Shit, a little too loud, though.

I startled her as she jumped at the sound of the door slamming She turned around, and hereyes grew big as she saw me standing there I wanted to come off charming by asking her to dinner,

but I could tell she was alarmed by my forwardness Denied As she passed me, and exited the

freezer, I inhaled her scent Cucumber Melon.

Fucked it up again Moving to plan C.

Molly remained on my mind for the rest of the day I had made two attempts already havingbeen shot down both times This was unusual for me I never had to go chasing a girl before Mollywas different She made me want to be different I was simply infatuated with her Even her turning

me down was sexy

I went through her file again and found her address Perhaps she would be more comfortable

in her own home, and I could ask her out that way Yeah, that would work I convinced myself to go to

her house that night

Seeing her in her natural form was more beautiful than I could describe She wore yoga

shorts and a sweet V-neck tee, clearly without a bra It was a little sexy since she was trying to coverher hard nipples up After all, it wasn’t cold in the room

I didn’t have much of a reason as to why I was there except for the fact that I just wanted tosee her again I wanted to know her, learn about her, and mostly just look at her After failing

miserably once again, I convinced her we could be friends For now at least.

The moment I saw her little girl, everything about her made sense She was not only single,but she was a single mother Knowing that she wasn’t married and not knowing about the father, leftmany unanswered questions Now I could understand why her guard was up, and why she was soreluctant to get to know me

Leaving her for the third time had damaged my heart No other woman has ever made mefeel like this I attempted three times in one single day to get her attention, and each time she denied

me I wasn’t mad I just had to get more creative next time

-<> -I had been sitting outside in my limo when -<> -I spotted Molly and a few others exiting the

Riverside She's laughing and chatting with them, so I tell my driver to follow closely behind to watchwhere they go Just a couple blocks down, they entered inside an old tavern that I had never been tobefore I waited a few minutes before going in

I noticed Molly right away and I knew she spotted me Her eyes grew big as I winked andsmiled at her I sat at the bar and ordered a beer, casually pretending that it was my normal ritual.Within a few minutes, Molly exited the bar and I stood wondering if she left on my account Not

giving her much time to get too far, I quickly left the bar after her

I stayed my distance so she didn’t feel me walking behind her As Molly is flagging down acab, I waved to my driver to leave He nodded and put his turn signal on I caught up to Molly just intime, as she tripped reaching for the handle I smiled to myself as I realized she was quite the klutz

My heart raced as she thanked me, not realizing who I was yet As she turned around, I amslapped in the face by her scent again I closed my eyes for a split second as I stabled her, taking it all

in I took the opportunity and slid into the cab with her, which took her by surprise

After she climbed out of the cab, I realized her wallet was on the floor Instead of chasing

her down the street, I thought of another way to give it back to her It needed to be different this time –

a way she couldn’t say no If she would just give herself the opportunity to let me in, I was positiveshe wouldn’t regret it

CHAPTER ONE

Molly

I TOSSED AND TURNED as I tried to find the right position on my side of the bed No matter what Itried, I could not get comfortable Drake had been passed out for at least two hours while I laid therewide awake I was reflecting back on the past twelve months of our time together I couldn’t believe,

at the beginning of the year, I was just a chef intern, and now I was working at The Riverside amongstremarkable chefs There had been a huge turn of events in my life once I started my internship Drake

had changed my life – for the better.

“Kendra…” My eyes shot open as I heard Drake mumbling in his sleep I turned towardshim for a moment, waiting to see if he were talking in his sleep again “Kendra… don’t.”

Apparently he was.

I cringed at the thought of him dreaming about her We hadn’t spoken of Kendra in a longtime, so it was surprising he would be mumbling her name now

Most nights I would debate whether to wake him up or let him sleep Usually he mumbled

about work, or moaned my name, but never had he said Kendra in his sleep My body twitched at the

thought of her being in his head I continued to stare at him, waiting to see if he said anymore

Suddenly, his eyes popped open staring directly into mine He looked around baffled as he realized itwas still dark out

“Are you alright?” I asked, as I noticed he was sweating, and his eyes had a look of fear

He rubbed his hands over his face “Yeah…I just had the weirdest dream, that’s all.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” I offered, hoping he’d mention why he was dreaming aboutKendra I leaned up on one elbow, urging him to tell me

“No…it’s nothing Don’t worry, baby.” He leaned over and kissed me hard on the lips Igave in, kissing him back His hand drifted up my shirt, clenching my bare skin His greedy kiss urged

me harder, leaving me begging for air And more of him His lips moved down my neck and to the

curve of my collarbone, where he pulled open my shirt, making more room for his lips to explore Hisbody moved quickly, hovering over me as his hands grasped my sides His hands brushed my shirt,pulling it up and over my head

He grabbed my breast in the palm of his hand and tugged the nipple hard I moaned at thesensation as it jolted electricity through my body His lips moved down to the other breast as his

tongue played with my now sensitive nipple

I was lost in him, lost in the moment, and completely forgot about the previous five minutes

He dipped his head into my chest, rubbing his hands freely over my naked skin He reached for mypants, and grinned as he realized I wasn’t wearing any Sleeping next to Drake was like sleeping in anoven His body heat radiated across the entire bedroom, leaving me to rip half my clothes off duringthe night

He lowered his lips down my torso and hovered over the lining of my lace panties I arched

my body up pressing his mouth inside me deeper I gripped his hair in my hands, squeezing his locksbetween my fingers

“You are going to put me in orgasmic body seizures,” I moaned against the intense sensation

He lifted his head up to meet my eyes and smiled “Seriously, you’re torturing me… I’m going to gointo fucking convulsions if you don’t hurry,” I pleaded playfully urging him inside me

“Patience, patience my love I’ve hardly started with you yet.”

my body through holy orgasmic spasms Holy fuck.

The way Drake could make me feel was nothing I had ever felt before We weren’t just

having sex…it was more than that Much more We made love…hot, steamy, erotic love.

I lay there breathlessly underneath Drake’s sweaty body His hair tousled, and covering mychest as he rest his head down on me I tried to sync my breathing with his, but I could no longer

control it

“You are going to give me a frenzy stroke one of these days if you keep this up,” I teased,running my fingertips up and down his back, slowing his rapid breathing down

“At least you would die a happy woman,” he mocked, knowing damn well what he could do

to me Red hot spasms…

“Okay, mister.” I turned and smiled at him “My turn,” I said, pushing him away from me as Istraddled my legs over him “Don’t you dare move,” I ordered

“Yes, ma’am.” He smirked as he placed arms behind his head ready to receive anything Iwas willing to give him

I lowered my lips to his chest biting at his skin on my way down “Hold on.”

-<> -The following morning, I woke up to the strong smell of bacon And peanut butter What the hell? I swung my legs over the bed, looking for my clothes that were sprinkled across the floor

everywhere

I walked down the hall noticing the smell getting more intense Someone is definitely

making bacon I tiptoed down the stairs that led to the kitchen I spotted a shirtless, handsome hunk

frying bacon over the stove I paused on the steps a moment taking it all in Watching Drake cook was

insanely hot Watching him half-naked is pure sexual torture.

I walked the rest of the way down the steps, and sat at the breakfast bar watching him

intently He had quiet music playing as he stepped from the stove to the toaster

He spun around, nearly losing his grip on the pan of greasy bacon “Good morning.” Hesmiled and leaned in for a kiss “Are you hungry?”

“Starving.” I smiled, admiring how good he looked in the kitchen “What exactly are youdoing?”

“Cooking breakfast for my love,” he said proudly

“I can see that.” I stood up and walked to the sink Turning on the faucet to rinse my hands, I

turned and asked, “Why exactly are you cooking breakfast?”

Drake never cooked I’m actually surprised he can cook, or is attempting to at least I turnedback around to rinse the soap from my hands My body was hyper-aware of his presence as my thighstingled from last night’s events

“It’s a very special day, sweetheart.” He placed the hot pan down, and walked behind me

He pulled my hair to one side and kissed the sensitive skin just under my ear

“It is?” I asked, not knowing what the hell he was talking about Not his birthday…not my birthday…what am I missing?

“Yes.” He spun me around, so I was now facing him With my back to the sink, he leaned injust barely grazing our noses, placing his hands on the counter behind me “It’s our one year

anniversary.” He slowly pecked my lips and backed his face away to watch my expression

“We have an anniversary?” I asked, raising my brows

“Yes January twelfth,” he said matter-of-factly How did I not know this?

“Oh.” I looked at him curiously “And how did you come up with that exactly?” I giggled,amused that he knew we had an anniversary, and I didn’t

“It was our first time.” He smiled “The day I made you mine,” he teased, biting my lower

lip between his teeth Ahhh…that day…

“That was a good day.” I smiled at the memory “But I wasn’t aware that’s what made meyours.”

“Of course, it did.” He pressed his body against mine, reassuring me of exactly what washis

“I don’t remember signing any contract, or agreeing to that,” I teased, remembering ourconversation about previous women he dated

“Oh really…well, the moment your lips touched mine was your verbal agreement to only bemine.” He pressed his body harder into me, making it clear he was serious “You aren’t getting

away.” He slammed his mouth into mine, feeling my tongue with his

“Does that mean I’m your sex slave?” I managed through aching lips.

“I prefer to call you my Sex Goddess,” he responded.

I busted out laughing at his cheesy remark “I won’t protest to that…as long as you’re my Sex God.”

“Deal.” He smashed his hands around my ass and picked me up, wrapping my legs tightlyaround his waist “Now let’s go finish that marathon we started last night.”

I couldn’t help the giggles that slipped out of my mouth as he made a dash for the stairs

“Our breakfast is getting cold,” I pouted as we lay in bed with the sheets ripped off Drake

was aggressive in the morning Very aggressive Not that I minded.

“Don’t worry We still have lunch and dinner,” he teased, rubbing his fingers softly over myskin

“You are going to leave me a very hungry woman,” I teased back, knowing exactly what he

meant

“Just the way I like you.” He kissed my lips and slammed his body into mine once again

“You have the sexual appetite of a sixteen year old boy,” I teased, rolling back onto my side

of the bed

“Well, if that isn’t the pot calling the kettle black?” he teased, tickling the very sensitive skinover my ribs

“Hey!” I shouted, pretending to be offended “That is all you! I was a quiet, sweet girl

before you corrupted me.” I laughed, pushing his fingers off me

“I wouldn’t say quiet, but I’ll take credit for waking up the beast inside you.” He smiled

again, making me laugh at his overconfident ego

“Okay, seriously We need to get out of bed.” I laughed, realizing it was late in the day

already “My legs are jelly.”

“Mine, too.” He huffed a laugh, clearly content

“Guess we need to order in.” I winced as I tried to swing my legs off the bed Damn he

really did rough me up.

“Let’s get that sore body of yours in the hot tub.” Before I could respond, Drake had me up

in his arms carrying me to the bathroom Somehow he managed to turn the water on while still holdingonto me He lowered me into the steaming hot water, and told me to relax while he ordered dinner

I lowered my body deeper into the water, letting the heat relax my extremely sore and

possibly pulled muscles I grabbed some bubble bath and poured half the bottle in Oh god, this feels amazing.

Drake returned a half hour later wearing only an old pair of jeans that had holes and rips in

the ass pockets Fuck those are extremely hot No… no thinking of naughty things You are fucking sore, Molly.

Drake held up a few white containers from his favorite Chinese restaurant That was one ofthe best things about Chicago Food delivery didn’t take long in the city

He opened one container and with a quick swirl of his chopsticks had a large amount ofnoodles ready

“Open up.” I complied, and let him feed me I think I’m liking this whole anniversary thing

so far He fed me a few more bites and then finished the box himself.

He rose out of his chair and stood behind the tub behind my head I closed my eyes as herubbed my shoulders, massaging the water into me

“Wow That feels amazing.”

“You haven’t felt amazing yet, baby.” I could tell he was smiling, and secretly torturing me

“I don’t know how much more amazing my body can take.”

“I guess we’ll just have to see, won’t we?”

“As long as you leave me in one piece.” He lowered his lips to my ear, sucking the water offthem His hands continued rubbing as they lowered down my chest

Drake

I’m hovering over a still body Kendra is covered in blood and sweat Why did she pull these ridiculous stunts?

“Kendra, wake up!” I shook her viciously, hoping she was still conscious She was

diagnosed with bipolar disorder her freshman year of college She would do great for long

periods, and after awhile she thought she didn’t need to take her medication anymore… which would bring her here to this moment of insane behavior.

Kendra started cutting herself just a few months after we started dating Or at least that’s when I found out about it She would threaten me with harming herself anytime we fought, or if I tried to end things with her.

“Drake, I’ll do it!” she warned, holding a knife up to her neck If she wasn’t cutting

herself, she was threatening to kill herself She was unstable, and most times she ended up in the psych ward for a week or two until she recovered.

“Kendra, don’t!” I fought with her while trying to grab the knife out of her grip.

I peeled my eyes open, realizing I’m in bed Molly is staring at me with concerned eyes Did

I say something in my sleep? I remembered it’s officially our anniversary, and that I wanted to make

this day as special as possible for Molly I never had an anniversary with anyone before that wasworth celebrating

After getting Molly out of the tub, I carried her back to our bedroom where I surprised herwith rose petals and champagne.

-<> -“Wow, you really go all out for these anniversary things,” she said taking it all in

“Actually, it’s my first one I wanted it to be special.”

“Really? It’s your first one?” she asked, curiously

“Well, my first one that was worth making special.” I dropped her to her feet and took hermouth in mine I planted my hands on her cheeks, forcing her body to press hard against me Most

days I couldn’t get enough of her Fuck, make that every day She hypnotized me, and what made it

even worse was that I don’t think she even realized what she did to me

I wanted to celebrate our past year together all day and night She was worth it, and shedeserved everything She was the first woman that ever made me feel the way she does In previousrelationships, there was usually only sexual chemistry that brought us together, but that was it Therewas no connection, no need to be around them, and most times nothing in common Molly was

different – so different in that it drove me fucking insane how much I needed and desired her Theway my body reacted to hers was something I couldn’t fully explain It was as if my body had a brain

of its own—never minding the consequences of its actions

“So, I have something for you.” I turned and grabbed a box out of my dresser Her eyes

widened, looking panicked almost

She grabbed it out of my hand and slowly opened it Her eyes softened as she realized it was

a key She pulled it out and held it up while for an explanation

“Molly,” I started, slowly I bent down so that I was in between her legs looking directly

into her eyes “You already have the key to my heart, but now I want you to have this key—the key that brings you home.” She stayed still trying to wrap her mind around what he was saying Did she know what I was asking, or was I confusing the hell out of her? “I want you to move in with me,

Molly You and Stella,” I confirmed, making sure she knew exactly what I wanted

“Are you sure?” she asked nervously, gripping the key in her palm

“I have absolutely no doubts, Molly, that we are ready to take this next step.” I looked her inthe eyes, making sure she knew just how much I loved her, and how much I wanted this for us

“But I mean… are you sure about all this?” She waved her hand around to represent shecame with more than just her “We can be a handful.” She grinned “We’re a two-for-one package.”

“I know.” I smiled “I love a bargain deal.” She wrapped her arms around me, pulling metight against her chest “Does that mean yes?” I teased, still wanting to hear her say it

“Yes!” She beamed “Yes, yes, yes!”

CHAPTER TWO

Molly

Six Weeks Later

I had been packing all day and night Make that all week, and all last week too God, I hate packing Drake and I were officially moving in together, and as a bonus, Michael was coming with

us Drake liked Michael, and knew I wouldn’t want to leave him behind, especially since Stella lovedhim so much It made sense for us to be moving in together, seeing that either Drake was at my place,

or I was over at his It was the perfect move for us… the perfect next step Also, this way I could

spend time with my three most favorite people in the world

“Almost ready? The movers are here.” Drake peeked into my bedroom I did a once over,looking back at the years I’ve called this place home

“Yes.” I smiled and grabbed his hand I was excited about our new journey I wonderedwhere it would take us I only ever lived with a man once before in my life, so apart of me felt

nervous, but for the most part, I felt excited to be moving on

We left my apartment for the last time, leaving the movers to do their job I couldn’t believeall the stuff I had accumulated over the past four years Stella was now five and already in

kindergarten I couldn’t believe the little personality she had She was my mini-me, but at the sametime, I saw so much of Liam in her

We walked down to where his limo was waiting Michael and Stella were already back atthe penthouse, waiting for the movers to arrive Michael had his room packed up a week ago, and had

no desire to help move He couldn’t wait to live in Drake’s penthouse But who could blame him?

“Are you excited to be moving in?” He inched closer, rubbing his lips down my neck

“I’d be more excited if you were naked.” I arched my neck back, giving him easier access Iloved his lips on me, but the neck, that was my sweet spot

“Oh, I’ll be naked alright In the bedroom In the bathroom In the kitchen On the balcony,”

he teased in between nibbling and kissing my neck, making it raw He could put my whole body into afrenzy just kissing that one spot

“Fuck That’s a lot of naked,” I gasped, flashing the thought through my mind at how much Iwould enjoy that

“You bet.” He smiled, and played with my strap, inching his hand down further my shirt Thelimo reached our penthouse, but instead of stopping, Drake ordered his driver to keep going

“You have a dirty mind,” I moaned into his mouth This wasn’t our first time in his limo, and

it was certainly not going to be the last He pulled both straps down, releasing my breasts into hishands I leaned back against the cold leather, soaking up the intense feelings that were riveting through

my body

He lowered his mouth down, pushing my dress up towards my hips He placed soft, wetkisses up my thighs, making sure he didn’t leave any bare skin untouched.

We arrived back to the penthouse as he released me into an intense body spasm He kissed

my forehead as he helped push my dress back down over my legs He grinned as he noticed how spent

I was

“Good thing we hired movers,” he teased, taking my hand as we exited the limo I’d been toDrake’s several times over the last several months, but today was different I was no longer just

visiting It was now my home Our home.

The following morning we went into full-on unpacking mode Stella left early for school andMichael had to get back to writing I had Monday’s off, so Drake took the day off with me

“I wasn’t aware of all the shit you had,” Drake groaned as he continued unloading my

clothes and shoes There were boxes everywhere, leaving little space to actually move around

“It’s a good thing I moved into a seven bedroom penthouse then,” I recoiled at his whineytone He grinned back, giving me a look of desperation Quickly he dropped whatever the hell he washolding and charged towards me I sprung back, not letting him catch me Unfortunately, Drake was

much faster than me and whirled me around on the bed, making him land on top of me Fuck, he’s strong He pulled my arms apart, pressing them against the mattress I tried to wiggle out, but the

more I fought, the firmer his grip was He placed aggressive, greedy kisses up my stomach, inchinghis way up to my breasts and up my neck My body was a traitor and greeted him willingly as theintensity grew between my thighs My back arched up to his lips, begging for more

A moan escaped my lips as he tugged on my ear with his teeth My body was hungry anddesperate for his touch, and just as I was ready to give in, he hopped off leaving me completely

breathless and frustrated

“You’re evil,” I groaned as he smiled at my expression “Get your naked ass back over

here.”

He dipped his body back down and pressed a quick kiss on the tip of my nose “Unpacknow, and maybe I’ll reward you later,” he counter-offered I let out a frustrating moan as I swung mylegs off the side of the bed

“Fine Better be worth it,” I pouted

“I always am.”

Stella arrived home just before dinner, and although a couple dozen boxes were still leftunopened, I wanted to cook a special dinner for our first full day of living together

“What’s on the menu?” Drake asked as he watched me dig thru the fridge

“You’ll just have to wait and find out.”

As I mixed my chicken cordon bleu mixture together, I reflected back on the past year thatI’d spent with Drake I could hardly believe it had been that long I wasn’t even looking for a

relationship, and out of nowhere, this amazing man walked into my life.

After I started working at the Riverside full-time, Drake and I developed a healthy routinethat consisted of him coming down to the restaurant to see me any chance he could, and I went up tohis office to see him, as well It wasn’t always about the intense chemistry and sexual tension Wewould also just sit together and enjoy each other’s company over lunch Most days I found myselftalking about work, and how I loved being able to cook everyday and hear people complimenting thefood

Nikos Castellanos was the man who interviewed me for the chef position He’s also the one

I worked side by side with He has taught me the most amazing techniques, and continued teaching melong after my training period He had shaggy, long dark hair—almost black, that he tied back when hewas in the kitchen He had a thick, Greek accent that sometimes was hard to understand, but afterawhile I got pretty good at decoding his language

Mr Rizzo was the assistant restaurant manager who was often busy with paperwork andhandling customer complaints Not that there were many, but serving top executives and politiciansoften led to nervous servers

My life has changed so dramatically in the past several months Stella started school,

Michael gained immense popularity with his fashion blog, especially after appearing in Quest

magazine, and Drake and I were happily in love It was bliss.

After our first official dinner living under the same roof was over, Stella took a bath andheaded to bed Her days at school were longer and she could hardly stay up past eight Michael

usually met up with his boyfriend, Troy, or hid away in his room to write Troy never came around,but I think that was to keep Stella out of the loop until she was old enough to understand

Even so, it was nice being alone with Drake at the end of a long day…having him to myself,and just being together

“So, I have a little surprise for you,” Drake announced as I dried the last of the dishes

“Does it involve…cheesecake?” I asked, really craving some sweet dessert

“It could…” He rushed over to me and slammed me against the wall, taking me by surprise

He pinned my hands up behind my head with his as he smashed his lips to mine I felt a sudden tinglebetween my thighs, ready to devour into him at any moment “If it did involve cheesecake, I’d set apiece right here…” He paused, kissing my shoulder “And right here…” He paused again, kissing theother shoulder “And possibly down here…” He then trailed his kisses down my chest, moving thefabric of my shirt out of his way with his teeth

“Oh, sweet, Jesus, please tell me we have cheesecake,” I pleaded, urging him down further

He released my hands as his mouth lowered down my body placing tender, sweet kisses on my bareskin “If you keep this up, I’m going to be forced to take you right here and now.”

“That would be an awfully sweet view for the neighbors,” he mocked, picking me up andcarrying me towards the stairs His lips locked on mine as he walked us up the staircase I wonderedhow he managed up the stairs without looking, but after all the activity we normally had, he was a pro

by now.

Slamming us against the mattress, he frantically ripped my clothes off I reciprocated by

unbuttoning, unzipping, and taking everything off him Fuck, he wears too many layers He rubbed his

hands over my stomach making me cringe every time he brushed a finger over my bare skin

“You are seriously torturing me,” I moaned, enjoying the sensual desires that were firing upwithin me

“Don’t worry, baby I’m going to take good care of you,” he promised He hovered on top of

me, placing light kisses from one shoulder to the other He spent the next hour taking his time with me,kissing me, and caressing me with his hands over my bare silky skin

“I hope we never get tired of that,” I whispered as we lay in bed, linking our bare, sweatylegs together

“Not a chance in the world.” He leaned over and kissed me My body was beyond exhausted

to reciprocate He laughed at my inability to move knowing damn well he tired me out “Come on.Bath time.” He grabbed under my ass and lifting me up, carrying me once again

“I like the sound of that,” I moaned as my body was screaming for a break He set me downnext to the tub and turned the hot water on As soon as steam covered the room, he lifted me up andplaced me into the hot water filled with the sweet smell of bubble bath “Ahhh, god this feels

amazing.” I leaned back and closed my eyes, enjoying every drop of water that soaked my sore andoverworked body

Drake left me to relax in the tub I lay there, thinking back on my journey that got me righthere in this moment…

After a few months of working at Riverside, I was chosen to run as the lead assistant Nikoshad been training me extensively, making sure I was ready He was an amazing man who always saidthe sweetest things to me No matter how much I screwed up, he always knew how to encourage me to

do better

Nikos had a little crush on me, okay…maybe a big crush, and even though he was well

aware of my relationship with Drake, it didn’t stop him from making sure I knew how he felt Hewould often tease me for being so clumsy, but he used it to his advantage Whenever I’d reach forsomething on a high shelf, he would stand behind me and watch intently as everything I grabbed fell

on top of me or on the floor He would make sure to be there to catch anything that went flying Hewould offer to do it for me, but I was tired of asking every time I needed something high on the

dissociative identity disorder as Liam had taught me From early on, Nikos started calling me Philia,

which in Greek meant loyal friend, or love between friends Most times I didn’t mind him calling methat, but other times he would growl it in such a sensual way, it made me uneasy

-<> -Oh, and then there is Travis Four months ago, he surprised me and made a trip out here to

see me One of the servers came back to the kitchen saying a customer was complaining that the steak

I had prepared was made wrong I highly doubted it, but I made a new one per the customer’s request.Five minutes after the server took the new steak out, she was back The steak was too dry I aboutflipped I knew there was no fucking way my steak was made wrong two times in a row The server

grinned as she saw red heat in my eyes I knew she was up to something I grabbed the plate of too dry steak and stormed out of the kitchen.

I approached the table where a gentleman sat with his back to me I slammed the plate down

in front of him, ready to start a battle Not the most professional, but this man is messing with me!

As soon as I glanced down and had a better look at who he was, I punched him right in the shoulder

“I fucking hate you!” I teased, laughing He cringed, pretending that I actually hurt him

“What the hell are you doing here?” I bent down and hugged him

“I wanted to surprise you.” He stood up and squeezed me again

“I’m definitely surprised It’s good to see you, Trav.” He was in town for a conference and

wanted to come in and mess with me Jerk I took the rest of the afternoon off, and decided to sit

down and eat with him

It was great spending the afternoon with him, catching up with each other He had Jacob overthe summer, and every six weeks he flew Jacob out to see him He told me about a new girl he met,who happens to be a server at the restaurant he works at She’s nineteen and attends college, and withthe way he talked about her, I could tell he had it bad I teased him at how mushy he was being, but itwas so good to see him happy

-<> -“Almost done in there?” Drake peeked his head in the door, bringing me back from memorylane He was shirtless, which always made me smile as I got to stare at his strong chest, and his

hairline that went just below his briefs

“Not unless you want to join me?” I turned to get a better look at him

“Hmmm…that’s very tempting.” He pushed the door, letting himself in He stripped down infour seconds flat, and crawled in the tub behind me

“Now this is what I call a party.” I grinned, inching closer to him

“Speaking of a party, what do you say we have one here in a few weeks?” he asked,

hesitantly

“A party? For what?” I asked confused He hadn’t mentioned any benefits, or social events

that were coming up.

“Well, I was hoping it could be like an engagement party but a ‘We just moved in together’party.” He slowly moved his hands up and down my arms, making the goose bumps more apparent

I couldn’t help but freeze on the word ‘engagement.’ We haven’t even discussed the

possibility of getting engaged, or getting married Moving in was a huge step for me I still had anindent on my left ring finger from where Liam’s ring had been for four years

“So you want to have a ‘we just moved in together’ party?” I asked, making sure I heard himcorrectly He nodded, moving his hands up my back, rubbing out each muscle spasm

As long as it wasn’t a ‘Surprise, will you marry me?’ party I was all for it I was used to allthe events this past year that Drake brought me to It took awhile, but after the third event, it was like

clockwork Smile, shake hands, nod, smile, eat as little as possible since I can barely breathe in the stupid too tight gown, keep smiling, and applause after every speech… always applause.

Other than the one event where Kendra expressed her opinion on how my relationship

wouldn’t last, I actually didn’t mind going to all of the events Drake’s family even hosted a memorial

benefit after Kendra passed away It was a nice gesture on his family’s behalf…mostly because all the donations went to the hospital where Kendra passed away.

“Okay, sounds fun,” I finally said, giving in to him wanting to host yet another party Healways hired caterers and party planners, and they always turned out amazing I was certain this

wouldn’t be anything less

CHAPTER THREE

“Are you ready?” I asked Stella as I opened her bedroom door Stella had been talking aboutthe party for weeks now She was stoked that she was finally going to one of the events that Drake and

I had always talked about

“Ready, mommy! How do I look?” She spun around giving me a 360-degree look at herdress

“Fabulous!” I glowed watching her fan out the bottom of her dress She wore a pink, frillygown that made her look like a little princess I grabbed her hand, and ushered her out to where ourguests were waiting I had met most of them at other events, but some I was meeting for the first time

“Michael? Jesus, boy, I can smell you from over here.” I crinkled my nose at the

overwhelming smell of aftershave and cologne

“That’s just my ‘ready to mingle’ scent, baby doll.” He rounded the corner, grinning ear toear He pressed his hands down his shirt, smoothing the red silk under his palms

“Well, it smells like a Macy’s perfume counter on cocaine.” Michael tossed me an annoyedlook as Stella giggled in the background She was used to Michael’s odd tactics

I locked my fingers with Drake in one hand, and held Stella’s hand in my other People stoodaround the balcony with glasses of champagne, while servers walked around with trays of mini

stuffed crabs Nikos and Mr Rizzo walked in together, greeting us as they found a spot to settle in

Nikos wore a black suit with a sharp dark blue tie I wasn’t used to seeing him dressed upsince at work we wore white from head to toe Chef’s hat, coat, apron, and pants Hair tied up He

looked so elegant and…normal His hair was down as if he had been brushing his fingers through it

to form natural waves at the ends He was dark with natural tanned, Greek skin, and whenever he

smiled it was hard to ignore his extremely white teeth He had a beautiful smile…big smile His

accent was to die for…thick and deep Although Nikos was very attractive, I just didn’t see him thatway Even if I were single and looking, he wouldn’t be someone I would ever date

“Check out this view,” Nikos radiated, looking over the balcony at the city’s bright lights

“Gorgeous, isn’t it?” I stood near him, looking over the ledge I loved working with himeveryday It made the job feel real, like it had purpose He was always teaching me something, orhelping me master a technique

“Drake is a lucky man.” He looked me over “And I don’t mean because of the city view.”

“Stop it, Nikos Envy doesn’t look good on you,” I fired back, hoping to keep the

conversation light I’ve known for a while that Nikos had a thing for me, and every once in awhile hewould make remarks that made me uncomfortable I never told Drake about it I was afraid if I did, itwould cause awkward tension in the kitchen when I had to work with him almost every day Mosttimes I ignored it, or responded with a sarcastic remark to change the topic

“Sorry, philia You’re really amazing I hope he treats you well.” He gave me a half smile,leaned down, and pressed his lips to my forehead It was innocent, but I’m sure from afar, it lookedintimate I could tell he cared about me, but on a much more intense level than I cared for him.

“He does, don’t you worry.” I smiled, reassuring him that I was happy He chugged the rest

of his champagne down and walked away

The rest of the evening went smooth People laughed, drank, ate, congratulated us… the

whole shebang Stella passed out before the last of our guests left As the staff finished cleaning forthe evening, Drake and I went upstairs to our room I was ready to rip my clothes off and pass out next

to Drake

“Oh my god!” I squealed, frozen in my tracks My eyes were wide open, jaw dropped, asDrake stood beside me taking it all in Someone had slipped into our bedroom sometime during theevening, and placed rose petals on our white feather comforter spelling out, ‘She deserves better.’

The image was…unnerving Who the hell would do this?

Nikos…was my first thought.

“What the fuck!” Drake stormed past me, looking down on our bed “Who the hell was uphere?” he asked, more to himself than me

“I have no idea I didn’t see anyone come up here.” I started looking around to see if

anything was missing, but nothing was out of place It was exactly the way I left it down to the

pantyhose I left on the edge of the loveseat that once sat in my living room “It’s probably just a joke,”

I said, walking towards Drake hoping to calm him down Hoping to calm myself down rather…

“I don’t fucking care This isn’t a joke.” He was furious I was furious Knowing that

someone had been in our bedroom without us knowing was unsettling I stormed past Drake,

sweeping the petals off the bed He came up behind me and pushed me aside as my frustration grewmore intense “Baby, stop.”

He grabbed me around the waist and swung me around to face him I wasn’t one to get upseteasily, but the fact that someone had the nerve to break into our room and do that had me over theedge pissed off

“It’s just some jealous asshole,” he tried to reassure me, as well as himself Jealous asshole

or not, this was absurd

The following week dragged on as the memory of the party still lingered in my head Part of

-<> -me watched for any signs from Nikos that he had done so -<> -mething, but he acted exactly as he alwayshad

“What’s on your mind, philia?” Nikos interrupted my thoughts in his thick accent As helooked at me, he appeared worried as if he were trying to figure me out I contemplated on tellinghim, but I didn’t want to come off as if I was accusing him

“Oh, nothing Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind.” I faked a smile and continued choppingred peppers.

“Are you sure? You’ve been pretty out of it all week.” He leaned closer, placing his largehands on my shoulders He was looking at me as if he were trying to read me I nodded, smiled, andonce he was pleased with my response, he took a step back leaving me to finally exhale the breath Ididn’t realize I was holding

The days at the restaurant were always different When we weren’t hustling around thekitchen during lunch and dinner rushes, Nikos and I prepped food and stocked the freezers WhenDrake stopped by, I was able to give him a few minutes of my time, but I didn’t want dating the

manager to get in the way of my work

I was concentrating on slicing tomatoes when a pair of large, cold hands covered my eyesfrom behind me Shocked, I dropped the knife on the cold, metal counter that echoed a loud clankingnoise throughout the kitchen The man lowered his mouth to my ear, whispering, “Do as I say and noone gets hurt.”

Without thinking, I plunged my elbow into his ribs, knocking him down off his feet I quicklyturned, grabbed the knife, and ran out without glancing back to see who it was It didn’t matter Iwanted out

“Philia, what’s wrong?” Nikos caught up to me as I shoved my way out the kitchen doors Ibent over leaning my hands on my knees, breathing heavily as I tried to get the words out He saw theknife in my hand and slowly grabbed it from my shaking palm “What the hell?” He looked back towhere I ran from, and took the knife with him as he walked back into the kitchen

A few moments past before I heard anything I anticipated a brawl, maybe some yelling,

screaming, or body slamming But I heard…laughing? What the fuck? Why is Nikos laughing?

I stormed through the kitchen doors to find Nikos leaning over Drake helping him to his feet.Drake was holding his side with one hand as he let Nikos pull him up

“What the hell?” I stood dumbfounded, waiting for an explanation of some sort “Drake?”

“Damn, philia, what did you do to your man?” Nikos was still chuckling, as he was able toput the story together in his mind

I ran over to Drake as he leaned against the metal counter I couldn’t believe how jittery Ihad been to assume a strange man was behind me Ever since the bedroom incident I had been onedge

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry, baby!” I ran towards him, crushing my hand against him stayingclear of the rib I elbowed just a few moments earlier “You scared the living shit out of me!” I

scolded

“Yeah…I see that Damn, you have a fight stance.” He grinned, pulling my chin up to lookinto my eyes After getting Drake an ice pack and making sure he would be alright, Nikos and I gotback to work I couldn’t believe how jumpy I had been lately If Nikos was behind the incident, he

just got a first look at what it was doing to me.

-<> -“How are you feeling?” I turned, and asked Drake as he was pouring a cup of coffee It hadbeen a week since I elbowed him in the ribs, and it was bruised for a few days after

“I’m fine, babe, really Stop worrying about me.” He turned to look at me Damn, he looked

good in a suit Hell, he made that suit.

“Well, that’s great to hear Amazing, actually.” I walked towards him, slowly pulling thestraps of my nightgown off my shoulders Stella and Michael had already left for the day, and todaywas my morning off I had to be careful with Drake the past few days so his ribs could heal, so today

I was determined to give him a proper apology

“What are you doing?” he asked as he watched me strip down to nothing in the kitchen Ipropped myself up on the counter, crossing my legs, and seducing him with my eyes He chuckled at

my attempt to get what I wanted from him Keeping my eyes locked on him, I grabbed the whip creamthat Drake normally put on his coffee, and sprayed a circle around each breast His jaw hit the

floor…along with his coffee cup that shattered across the wood

He didn’t flinch

I didn’t flinch

I continued using the whip cream as my secret weapon to seduce the hell out of him It wasworking…slowly, but it was working I sprayed a line of cream from each nipple, down below mybelly button He watched as I put a finger to my mouth, licking the cream off This was so cheesy, and

a little cliché, but sometimes life needed a little cheesy

“You are wearing my breakfast, Miss Woods,” he badgered, walking towards me as heshuffled out of his suit jacket

“That’s the idea.” I smiled, licking another finger He stood in between my legs, adjusting

my hips to his I slowly unbuttoned his white shirt that was no longer needed He could be a few

minutes late…or so

He planted his mouth on mine as I pulled the shirt off his muscular arms He moaned an earth

shattering sound as I reached down and unzipped his pants Oh sweet, Jesus…that sound His mouth

moved down my neck, and he held his lips right at my collarbone, suckling I pushed his pants down,urging him in closer to me The cream was now smashed between our bare skins as we continuedkissing, touching, and licking

“You are going to make my body convulse into insane shock waves,” I muttered as he

entered deep inside me A deep, torturous groan escaped his throat as he continued to have his waywith me

I dug my nails into his shoulders as I thirsted for more My ass nearly fell off the counter, butDrake’s hands grasped it firmly, holding me in place He let out a deep, husky moan as he pulsated

harder, making me clench his biceps as he brought me to an overwhelming spasm release.

He dipped his head in the nape of my neck as he grinded harder into me, taking me over theedge once again

“Ohhh…god,” I moaned as he held on to me tighter and tighter “You are going to make mehave an orgasmic seizure with all this mind-blowing counter sex,” I teased, smiling back at him as hesuccumbed to his release

“Holy fuck.” He leaned his head all the way back and let out a seductive growl as he filledme

“I think we have officially christened the kitchen,” I teased, smiling as Drake kissed me onemore time on the lips He was trying to pick up the clothes that were now sprayed across the kitchenfloor, covered in cream, and coffee cup glass

“I think our maid’s going to quit,” he laughed, picking the rest of his clothes up

“We have a maid?” How did I not know this?

“Yeah…she comes during the day normally, so you probably haven’t met her yet.”

“Oh.” It was a her?

“Want to ride into work together? Seeing that we’re both going to be late…” He leaned infor another kiss, but I quickly grabbed the can of whip cream and sprayed it right in his mouth takinghim completely off guard

“Oh, you are so dead!” he said as I yelped, jumping off the counter and running around thekitchen island He scooped me up, stealing the can from my hand, and spraying whip cream all over

my naked body Holy shit, that’s cold!

We continued laughing as we saw what a mess the kitchen had become He carried me

upstairs and walked right to the shower

“Damn, this is some sticky shit,” he mumbled, trying to help me wash it out of my hair

“How the hell did it get in my hair?” I asked, noticing he was struggling

“I play dirty.” He turned me around, cocked a smile, and planted his lips to mine

“You keep this up, and we’re never going to make it to work.” He laughed as we continued along, steamy shower anyway

-<> -“Good morning, philia,” Nikos greeted me as I finally entered the kitchen

“Oh, and what a good morning it is, Nikos.” I smiled as I grabbed for my chef’s hat andapron He grinned at me knowing damn well what I meant “What can I help you with?” I asked as Icame to stand next to him He had trays of chicken thawed out, ready for the lunch rush

“The special today is Crab Stuffed Chicken, so I need you to stuff the shit out of them.” Hewagged an eyebrow, grinning.

“Well, then.” I chuckled, grabbing the trays and taking them to my station “I’ll get right tostuffing!” I smiled back

The morning breezed by, lunch specials were flying out faster than I could stuff, and soon Iwas ready for a break, but knowing I had been late to work, I decided I needed to work through mybreak

“Are you doing alright back there?” Nikos called to me I forgot to eat breakfast this morningand worked well through lunch I was beginning to feel light headed and nauseous I slowly nodded athim, and just as I was about to body slam the floor, Nikos was at my side catching my fall “Molly,dear, you are ill.” He pressed his hand to my face, circling my cheeks

“Oh god…this is embarrassing Nikos, I’m so sorry I just need to eat something that’s all,” Iinsisted, trying to reassure him He had a tight grip on me, and looked intense He helped me to myfeet and continued staring at me Nikos still had a firm grip on my waist to make sure I stayed up rightwhen Drake walked in

“What the fuck?” Nikos and I both turned our heads at the same time realizing what this musthave looked like Drake’s face turned red as his hands turned into fists

“Molly fainted,” Nikos said as he let go of my waist He backing away allowing Drake tocome to my side

“You fainted,” he said more as a statement than a question I nodded He then squeezed meagainst his chest not leaving me much room to breathe

“I’m really fine I just need to eat something.” I pushed back against his firm chest lookinghim in the eyes “I skipped a couple meals, that’s all.” I winked, reminding him of our breakfast

activities

“I can make you lunch, philia.” I forgot that Nikos was standing behind us watching Drakenodded in approval as Nikos went to whip something up

The first time Nikos called me Philia, Drake about had a man-fit I told him it was harmless

and he never mentioned it again He knew he could trust me, but part of me wondered if he checked

on me daily to give Nikos a secret “man message.”

Nikos placed a plate of asparagus and stuffed chicken in front of me “Eat,” he demanded

Gladly.

After my little mishap and getting some food in my stomach, I felt great I finished the rest of

my shift without fail and left a happy girl

“So what do you say we take Stella to Navy Pier this weekend? There’s not much going onthis time of year, but the museum and gift stores are open Plus, the view is amazing,” I asked Molly

as she continued to unpack boxes still left over from the move

“That’d be great! Michael and I took her a couple summers ago, but I doubt she remembers.”

I loved taking Molly and Stella out, especially because of the way Stella acted towards me I hadalways heard horror stories of being the “boyfriend” but Stella was such a sweet, well-manneredlittle girl; there were no horror stories to tell After we announced we were moving in together, sheeven insisted on calling me Daddy I didn’t mind, but I wanted Molly’s approval first

Molly’s smile widen as she looked between Stella and me She nodded and ever since then,

I’ve been referred to as Daddy Drake.

“So what do you say we ask Michael to watch Stella after we get back from Navy Pier, soyou and I can have a little ‘mommy-daddy’ time?” She laughed her sweet, amazing giggle She alwaysteased me when I said ‘mommy-daddy’ time, but it was true Most nights were focused on makingdinner, getting Stella’s school work done for the following day, giving Stella a bath, and reading toher in bed It was amazing to feel needed in a new way, and I loved every moment of it

“Did you have something particular in mind? Or do you plan to just wing it?”

“Oh, I never wing it, baby.” I tackled her down to the sofa, wrapping my legs around her so

she couldn’t escape “I—,” kiss, “always,” kiss, “take my,” kiss, “time with you.” Kiss, “I never—,” kiss, “wing–,” kiss, “anything—,” kiss, “with you.” kiss kiss.

I could feel her melting underneath me as her thighs quivered I held her hands over her

head, not letting her move I kissed down one side of her neck, slowly moved to the other side, down

to her collarbone, and back up to nibble on her ear She arched her back, trying to squirm, and give

me better access all at the same time

“Stop moving,” I demanded “You are mine to please.” She smiled and finally surrendered Ireleased her hands as I lowered down her body kissing her bare skin

Sadly, within a few moments, we were interrupted by a knock at the front door Damn.

Molly pouted and told me to ignore it

“I can’t, baby Be right back.” I stood up, zipped my pants, and walked to the door I lookedthrough the peephole, but I couldn’t see anyone I slowly opened the door, and looked around until Inoticed a small envelope sitting on the welcome mat.

It was addressed to Miss Molly Woods I shrugged and tossed it to her I hovered back over

her, kissing her neck, and then back up to nibble on my favorite part of her ear

“You’re being very distracting,” she mumbled as she fought to open the envelope I laughed

at her ability to keep a straight face as she tried to avoid my kisses She managed to rip it open as Ikept my lips on her bare skin She tensed up, freezing in mid-conversation

“What is it?” I asked, noticing her shocked reaction

“It’s—” she couldn’t finish her sentence She just stared at whatever was inside the

envelope I grabbed it out of her hand after a few moments of just silence

It was a memorial service for Liam–five years after his passing Molly’s face became palewhite His family wanted to honor him on the five-year anniversary of his death, which I could

understand, but I think Molly finally moved on, and this would bring up many unwanted emotions

“Are you okay?” I knew she wasn’t, but I had to see where her head was She nodded

slightly and stood up She didn’t say a word as she walked upstairs I didn’t know whether I shouldcomfort her or give her space I didn’t know what it felt like to lose someone, so I didn’t know how to

be there for her other than just give her time

Molly

I knew the five-year anniversary of Liam’s death was approaching It’s a date I’ll never

forget Yet, I felt like I had just been bitch slapped It was an unwelcomed wake up call Five years.

It’s been five years Stella just turned five and two months after her birthday, she would always

remember that her father had died

I needed air I didn’t know why this bothered me so much Maybe it was because I was

finally moving on with my life and was extremely happy Did I feel bad for being happy? I knew

Liam would want me to move on, but some part of me still felt guilty for it

I decided I needed to soak in the tub for a while I needed time to digest everything

The water was scalding Perfect I dipped in, pouring some bath salts under the faucet I

knew this was unfamiliar territory for Drake, and he normally just let me deal with it on my terms, butsometimes I wish he knew how I felt so he would stop giving me that pathetic, pitiful look

I leaned my head back against the cold tub and let the water consume me, lying there forwhat felt like hours The water turned cold, and my skin was pruned and wrinkled I decided that I

was ready to talk about it I needed to talk about it.

I got dressed and went downstairs Drake was in the kitchen making coffee and a sandwich

He turned when he heard me take the last step off the stairs His eyes were puffy as if he had beenrubbing them

“I wanna go,” I said, approaching him.

“Do you want me to go with you?” he asked genuinely I wasn’t sure I knew it would begood for Stella to go She’s been asking to go back and see her daddy’s gravesite It would give us achance to really bond, and to allow Drake into that part of our lives

“Yes.” He stepped closer to me, touching his forehead to mine He inhaled and closed hiseyes I could tell he was trying to find the right words to say Too bad there weren’t any right wordsfor a situation like this I tilted my head up and pressed my lips to his “I love you.”

Drake and Michael helped pack up Drake’s car Liam’s memorial service wasn’t for threedays, but I wanted to spend some time with my family while we were in Iowa We had to skip ourplans for Navy Pier, but it didn’t matter because this was something I couldn’t miss Part of me stillfelt like my heart had been left in Iowa all those years ago I would never fully have it back, and

-<> -Drake understood that Once you have a first love, nothing is ever the same

Stella was psyched to be going, and even told Drake she was going to tell Liam all abouthim It was the most adorable thing ever Drake’s eyes lit up as he smiled, and he told her it was agreat idea

Michael loved a good road trip I looked back at him with his hair wild and messy from the

window down, and his eyes covered in Coach sunglasses He really is a diva.

It felt great to be back in Iowa again Even though most of my memories back here werefading, I would never forget those years I had with Liam I wanted Stella to have those memories too,but she would just have to get them in a different way

“I want to go to his accident site,” I whispered in Drake’s ear so Stella wouldn’t overhearme

He turned to look at me making sure he heard me right “Why?” he whispered back

“I need to see it.” He nodded and didn’t oppose

We arrived at our hotel, and Stella was now passed out in the back on Michael’s lap Somedays I really felt sad for her not having Liam in her life, but other days, I felt she was really blessed.She had three loving parent figures who looked out for her and cared for her I knew Drake would be

a great role model for her, and after seeing them together for the past several months, I was blownaway Drake was a natural, which was something I hadn’t anticipated On the outside, he’s macho andmasculine, but as you get to know him, he’s a big softy that’s sweet and caring

Drake carried Stella to our hotel room, laying her on the bed She was still sound asleep, so

I took a shower and lay in bed next to her I knew these next few days were going to be overwhelmingand I wanted to do this with her I needed to give her those memories she deserved I wanted her to beable to look back and remember visiting her daddy and honoring his life

Although Stella was only five years old, she was insanely bright for her age Michael was

always teaching her things and talking to her as if she were an adult She easily understood new

situations, which made me incredibly amazed She was like a thirty year old woman living in a fiveyear old body

After dinner, Michael agreed to stay with Stella while Drake and I drove out to where

Liam’s accident had happened I was filled with emotions of anxiety, sadness, fear and was verydistraught

“Turn left up here,” I instructed Drake followed my directions and kept a straight face theentire time He squeezed my hand every few minutes just to let me know he was there for me “Okay,pull over up there.” I pointed just beyond a large oak tree Liam and his friends were out late on thiscountry road, and the car that was coming towards them didn’t have their lights on They ended uphitting head on, instantly killing Liam and the other driver

His other two friends were considered critical, but after a few weeks they were releasedfrom the hospital They tried their best to be there for me as I mourned my fiancé, but part of themlived with the guilt as they mourned for him, too

Drake pulled over, killing the engine He sat there a moment waiting to see what I wanted to

do I pushed the door open and stepped out I hadn’t been out here since before the accident Friendsand family told me how they placed flowers and candles in honor of Liam, but I found every excuse toavoid driving out here However, it was something I felt I needed to do now

I stood by the oak tree, imagining the accident scene I don’t know why I tortured myself, butpart of me needed to visualize it in order to fully heal I was grateful he hadn’t suffered, but it stillwasn’t fair He was just driving with a couple of friends having fun and laughing He didn’t deserve

to die

“Doing alright?” Drake approached me and held me from behind I held back the tears thatlingered in my eyes He leaned his chin on my shoulder as he waited for me to respond

“I think so.” I cleared my throat, wiping the tears off my cheeks that slipped through I

clasped his fingers through mine “I just can’t believe it’s been five years, and there are still skidmarks on the road.” The scene had been ugly The Sherriff report mentioned a lot of blood at the

scene, and car parts scattered all along the highway There had been a couple of pictures in the localnewspaper with dark rubber marks, and metal pieces that flew in the ditch near by

We stood there for what felt like an hour It was chilly, but Drake’s overheated body kept mewarm “Okay, I’m ready.” I nudged him with my head letting him know it was alright to leave Hegrabbed my hand and led me back to the car He opened the door for me, and waited until I was

seated and buckled in before closing it He kept his eyes locked on mine until he walked to the otherside

We stayed silent as we drove back to the hotel I finally felt ready to do this I wanted tocelebrate Liam’s life, and honor him for being such a great person, and for giving me Stella

The next morning at breakfast, Stella asked when we were going to see her daddy I planned

on taking her to his gravesite again, and since she hadn’t officially met Liam’s parents, I agreed to

take her over there, as well Their house had pictures of Liam and Stella plastered all over their

walls They had taken several dozen pictures of her when she was born up until Liam passed away

I hadn’t been in their house in so long, it felt foreign to see pictures of Liam again I used tocome over here all the time, but now it no longer felt familiar

“Molly, dear! We are so happy you guys came!” Liam’s stepmother, Trish welcomed us.Long after Liam’s mom died, his father remarried She always gave me the impression that she triedtoo hard She wore a fake smile, and stood as if she had a stick up her ass

“Thank you We’re glad to be here.” I ushered Stella in and did the introductions Michaeland Drake came with us Michael and Liam didn’t always get along, mainly because they both beggedfor my attention, but once I got pregnant and Liam proposed, Michael knew it was a serious deal for

us As we walked through the house, Stella clung to my hand as she was unfamiliar with the territory

“Stella, baby This was your daddy’s home before we moved in together This is your

Grandpa Ray and Grandma Trish.” She peeked out from behind me and gave a small smile She soonwas sidetracked as their three dogs came barreling down the hall

She laughed as one licked her face furiously, and the other two sniffed her “I guess they’rewelcoming you,” Trish said, trying to lighten the mood She escorted us into the living room and

offered us lemonade Stella enjoyed playing with the dogs as Trish and I talked Michael and Drakesat close by, taking everything in Michael was extremely protective of Stella and I I could hear himwhispering in Drake’s ear as he eyed Trish suspiciously He had been around continuously for thepast five years, but unlike my previous situation, Drake and Michael loved each other

“Would you mind speaking?” We had been talking about the memorial service that was intwo days, and now she was asking me to give a speech It wasn’t that I didn’t have anything to say, orthat I didn’t want to talk about him, but I didn’t do well in public speaking situations, especially

emotional ones

“I—I guess I could,” I stuttered “I’m not very good at public speaking though.”

“Oh, nonsense! Just speak from the heart, dear You don’t have to be up there long Just say afew words.” She smiled as she refilled my glass that was only half emptied Her eyes were tense asshe glanced over to Drake and Michael I suspected she was uncomfortable with Drake being there.She never spoke to him after I introduced them to each other

“Okay, I’ll do my best.” I took the glass up to my mouth as I tried to keep the terror fromspilling out I wanted to tell her that it would have been nice to be involved in planning the event, butthat was unimportant I was just glad they actually invited me

“Liam’s father and I would love to have lunch with you tomorrow Do you think you canmake it?” she asked, eyeing Stella on the floor with the dogs

“Yeah, sure But I’d like to bring Michael and Drake if you don’t mind.” I glanced over atthem as they faked their smiles and kept their mouths shut She had heard through the rumor mill that Iwas dating, and although she didn’t look pleased, she faked a smile and said, “Oh, absolutely! Themore the merrier!”

Stella and I said our goodbyes and headed out the door I was never very close to Liam’sfamily and after he passed away, they hardly kept in touch Once I moved to Chicago, we stoppedtalking completely.

Stella wanted to sleep in Michael’s hotel room that night, which left Drake and I some timealone My mind was cluttered with what I wanted to talk about at Liam’s memorial service I didn’tknow what to say I wanted to say what a wonderful man he was, what a wonderful father he was andwould still be today, and how I missed him so damn much Part of me wanted to scream, while theother part of me wanted to just be done with it already

“I ordered room service You need to eat,” Drake said, noticing my odd behavior I had beenfighting with myself since the moment we arrived Part of me felt wrong for bringing Drake here, but

he was a part of my life now, and I needed to accept that Liam would never be again At least

He pulled the covers back on the bed, and snuggled in behind me He pulled me to his chestand wrapped his big, beefy arms around me

“You know why I love you?” he asked against my ear

“Because I can cook,” I teased

“Well that, but do you know why I really love you?” I paused for a moment before saying

anything I turned around to face him and smiled

“Why?” I asked seriously

“Because of all your amazing qualities–not only are you beautiful on the outside, but you’regorgeous on the inside You have a tender heart that spills through me, and makes me want to be justlike you You inspire me to be better, and to be a better person And mostly, you make me jittery

every time I’m around you, even after all this time That first time I saw you, it was as if my heartknew I never felt like that before, and I knew I had to do everything possible to get to know you Andafter some convincing, you reluctantly fell in love with me.” He grinned a wide smile as he softlykissed my lips sending shivers down my body

“I guess I should thank you for aggressively stalking me then,” I teased, poking him under thearm “You sure were determined.”

“I still am determined You aren’t easy to keep tamed.”

“You can’t tame this!” I played along suckling his bottom lip

“Oh, you are very tamable I plan to make you mine for a very, very long time.” My eyes

grew big, as his expression was extremely serious.

“Don’t be so insecure,” I recoiled, moving my lips away from him to look him in the eyes

“I’m not I just need to secure what’s mine,” and with that he brushed his forefinger over myring finger that once held my engagement ring There was a light indent still present I knew he wasimplying marriage, but I played along, pretending I wasn’t mentally freaking out

“Ugh, you make me sound like a business deal or something.” He remained speechless andwith no warning, pinned me down to the sheets I laughed under him, pretending his grip was toostrong for me

He playfully tortured me as he sprung to his knees, holding my body tight with his calves Hepinned my hands above my head, slowly kissing his way down my arms, and back up to my lips

A quiet knock sounded at the door “Fucking room service,” Drake groaned, collapsing ontop of me

“You’re crushing me,” I pleaded as he plastered a guilty smile across his face He rose upand greeted the server at the door I could tell he had to adjust himself as he was rock hard through his

pants At least the server was a man.

CHAPTER FIVE

Drake

Finally, it was the day of Liam’s memorial service, and after some convincing, Molly finallyagreed to speak a few words on his behalf I knew she would look back and regret it if she didn’t, so Iwanted to make sure she did it now while she could

The day before, we met up with her parents for a short visit, and then went to lunch with Mr.and Mrs Weston The lunch wasn’t completely awkward, but I could’ve named ten other places Iwould rather been

After dinner with the Weston’s, Molly took it easy, preparing herself for the emotional

memorial service she knew would take a toll on her She scribbled her speech on several sheets ofpaper, wanting to make it just right I knew she was overthinking it, but there was no way I couldunderstand the feelings that were overcoming her during this time

I fixed my tie in the mirror as I watched Molly behind me fidgeting with her shoes God, she

was beautiful Stunning She was incredibly brave for going through this I knew she was skittish

when it came to talking about marriage, but I was ready to propose I knew I would wait until she wasready, but I didn’t know how long I could wait to make her mine

“How do I look?” Stella glanced up at me under her short little lashes She was holding outher skirt in front of her allowing me to see the beautiful pink flower pattern

“You look exquisite!” I exclaimed She was such a girl, always wanting to know how shelooked, and I loved that she asked me

“Thank you I think my Daddy Liam will like it, too.” She smiled, happily skipping back toMolly’s side I knew Molly had explained to her what we were doing here and openly talked aboutLiam, but part of me wondered if she really understood or not

“You good?” I asked Molly as her face turned pale I knew she was nervous and ready to getthis over with, but I also wanted her to enjoy the moment

“Yeah…” she breathed “I think so.”

Michael met us down in the lobby in a Versace tux that I loaned him “You don’t look halfbad.” I nodded at Michael

“I know, right? You should let me keep it.” He grinned, brushing his hands over the smoothfabric

I laughed at his straightforwardness “We’ll see.”

I escorted them all out to the car and waited until Molly did ten deep breaths before pullingout into traffic She didn’t get many panic attacks anymore, but every so often they came out of

nowhere